The Information Revolution through Investment
Growth opportunities as we get closer to the Singularity
- The SoftBank Group has grown by anticipating paradigm shifts in technology and building businesses to take advantage of the next era. Amid the rapid changes in technology, business models, and market needs of the information industry, investment is an important way of seizing growth opportunities ahead of other companies. The Group considers investment an important growth strategy. Having made early investments in prospective growth markets, the Company has supported the growth of its investees. It has also accumulated diverse expertise through its investment activities, which has driven the growth of the entire Group. In 2000, the Group invested in Alibaba of China, which went on to achieve massive growth over the ensuring years, and continues to expand its business globally today.
The Group believes that the “Singularity,” the point at which AI exceeds
human intelligence, will arrive during this century, triggering the
greatest paradigm shift in human history. The arrival of the Singularity
will redefine every industry, and is expected to greatly expand
existing business opportunities and to create new ones. To firmly grasp
these huge opportunities, the SoftBank Vision Fund (the “Fund”) was
established.
SoftBank Vision Fund
- In May 2017, the Fund completed its first major closing with over $93 billion of committed capital. The Fund aims to make large-scale, long-term investments in companies and platform businesses that have the potential to spark the next generation of innovations. The Fund's activities cover a broad range from tech start-ups to major, multibillion dollar companies looking for large investments to fund their growth, regardless of whether the companies are listed or unlisted or the size of the shareholding ratio. The Fund is expected to examine technology fields, including IoT, AI, and robotics. The Fund will invest with a longterm view, with an investment period of five years*1 and a fund period of at least 12 years*1 from the final closing. As a limited partner of the Fund, SBG has committed to investing up to $28 billion, including in-kind contributions. Other limited partners include the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Mubadala Investment Company of the United Arab Emirates, Apple, Foxconn Technology Group, Qualcomm Incorporated, and Sharp Corporation.
The Fund will be operated by an SBG subsidiary acting as a general partner receiving investment advice*2
from several of SBG's wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the
“SoftBank Investment Advisers”). Rajeev Misra will serve as the CEO of
the SoftBank Investment Advisers and will be a member of the Investment
Committee of the Fund. He will play a key role in all of the Fund's
transactions, supported by a highly experienced global team working out
of offices in London, San Carlos in the U.S., and Tokyo.
Forming a Group of Like-minded Companies
- The SoftBank Group will guide the Fund to success, maximizing its profits and realizing the Company's sustainable growth as a limited partner of the Fund. Furthermore, in addition to its capital connection with investees of the Fund and other forms, the Group aims to accelerate the information revolution even further by forming a corporate group of like-minded companions with a shared passion for “Information Revolution — Happiness for everyone.”
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